It is not known exactly when Darbuka was first made, it is known to be of ancient origin indeed. Darbuka is a goblet shaped hand drum used mostly in music originating near the Middle East. Itís thin, responsive drumhead as well as resonance help it produce a distinctively crisp sound.

By origin, darbukas may be made of clay, metal, or wood. Modern darbukas are also sometimes made of synthetic materials, including fiberglass. Modern metal darbukas are commonly made of aluminum or copper. Some aluminum darbukas may have a mother-of-pearl inlay, which is purely decorative. Traditional drum heads were animal skin, commonly goat and also fish but modern drums commonly use synthetic materials for drum heads.

www.blog.arabinstruments.com has announced the Standard Structure of the Darbuka. Take look at that.

Darbuka drum has a simplistic structure with conical shape and with a nearly circular head. However, the structure of darbuka drum can be different depending on its geographical locations, origins etc. The influence of western pop and hip-hop music has influenced the Musical culture of Middle East and it has resulted in changing its shapes and structure to some extent. It has got an all-new modern look with shinning interface. In addiction to this, some subtle changes have also introduced for improving the sound quality of Darbuka Drum. However, these subtle changes in the structure of Darbuka Drum can have either positive or negative effects or have both. Therefore, if you want to attain mastery in darbuka drum, you need to have fair knowledge about its standard structure.

However wikipedia tells that there are two main types of goblet drums. The Egyptian style has rounded edges around the head, whereas the Turkish style exposes the edge of the head. The exposed edge allows closer access to the head so finger-snapping techniques can be done, but the hard edge discourages the rapid rolls possible with the Egyptian style.

The goblet drum may be played while held under one arm (usually the non-dominant arm) or by placing it sideways upon the lap (with the head towards the player's knees) while seated. Some drums are also made with strap mounts so the drum may be slung over the shoulder, to facilitate playing while standing or dancing. It produces a resonant, low-sustain sound while played lightly with the fingertips and palm. Some players move their fists in and out of the bell to alter the tone. There are a variety of rhythms (see dumbek rhythms) that form the basis of the folkloric and modern music and dance styles of the Middle East.

Let's take a look for what type of materials used for Darbuka drum. Different types of metals are used for giving a darbuka drum a perfect shape. Using metal for forming the main structure of Darbuka Drum can have a number of advantages. First, metal structure improves its durability and gives it strength that you will not find in the traditional darbuka drums. In some cases, more particularly in Turkish darbuka, external rings are used for enhancing its performance as whole and it has proved extremely effective in this regard. Usually, copper and aluminum shell are being used widely for giving a metallic finish to darbuka drum but aluminum shell is mostly in use because of its lightweight and of its flexibility.

Some sorts of tune Doumbek has produced. TEK is a high ringing sound played with your right hand. The tone is produced by striking the outside edge of the head were the edge of the drum and the skin meet. KA is the same sound as tek, but played with your left hand. On the other hand DOUM is the bass tone played with your right hand in the middle of the drum.

The three essential/fundamental tones of the doumbek are TEK, KA, DOUM. With these three tones thousands of rhythms exist & thousands more can be made. The doumbek also has several additional tones and embellishing effects.

Even if I am living in Central Europe, my wife is from Peru. This fact few years ago draw my attention to congas, so I bought a mid class set of congas and learned to play. Basic strikes through Youtube instruction videos but as it got better later I learned some of the rhythms using my ear. Slowly and steady, with no hurry. It's not for gigs or public but more for "my soul" instead. I learned also to setup the membrane heads, etc.

Sometimes listening to some recordings of psalms in Hebrew, besides the beautiful singing of Erez YechieI there is a music background involving percussion instruments with distinct Middle East rhythm pattern. At time I didn't know which instruments exactly were used for recordings. But the fact remains that those songs with the rhythm induce a very pleasant and warm feelings inside.